


Family Dinner

by Fangirl_Forever



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Embarrassed Nico, Family Fluff, Fluff, Nico Feels, Percy Being an Idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 01:11:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10980240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl_Forever/pseuds/Fangirl_Forever
Summary: Based on this prompt: "How about Nico and Percy having dinner with Sally and Paul? And then Sally saw that Nico had a hickey on his neck and she kept throwing dirty looks at Percy while Paul and Nico were clueless."Written and posted to my Tumblr in 2015*I don't own these characters.





	Family Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt: "How about Nico and Percy having dinner with Sally and Paul? And then Sally saw that Nico had a hickey on his neck and she kept throwing dirty looks at Percy while Paul and Nico were clueless."  
> Written and posted to my Tumblr in 2015  
> *I don't own these characters.

Nico scowled at his reflection and adjusted his shirt collar for the fifth time. He cursed when he couldn’t get the collar to stay in just the right place to cover the bright red hickie on his neck. Percy peeked into the bathroom and winced when he saw what Nico was doing. Nico turned to glare at him and placed his hands on his hips.

“Dammit, Percy, we’ve talked about this! No marks where they can be seen!”

Percy blushed. “Sorry, baby. I got carried away.” He stepped up to Nico and pulled him into his arms. Percy pressed his face into Nico’s and nuzzled it in apology.

Nico gently shoved him away. “Quit it before you wreck my hair. It took me too long to get it into some semblance of control. We’re already running late as it is.”

Percy grinned. “I think it looks great in a ponytail, out of control or not.”

Nico couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face at the compliment and he deliberately brushed against Percy as he left the bathroom. Percy followed behind him and pulled a black tie out of his pocket. He tapped Nico on the shoulder and held it out to him when Nico turned to face him. Nico frowned up at him.

“A tie?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, I figure it’ll keep your shirt collar closed and in place so it won’t move and reveal the mark.”

Nico grinned and snatched the tie from his hand. He quickly and efficiently put it around his neck and tied it neatly. Percy watched, smiling. He never got tired of watching Nico. Nico lifted his head when he was finished and caught Percy looking at him. He blushed and nervously licked his lips. “What?”

Percy shrugged and grabbed Nico’s hips, pulling Nico against his chest. “You look very handsome. But you know you can just wear your regular clothes. It’s just dinner with my parents. They won’t care.”

Nico leaned his forehead against Percy’s chest. “I know. I’ll get there one day. But we better leave now or we’ll really be late.” Percy nodded and Nico immediately shadow traveled them to Sally and Paul’s apartment. They landed by the front door, alone. Nico nervously adjusted his shirt and tie again, checking to make sure his shirt was buttoned up correctly.  
Percy chuckled and took his hand. Percy lifted Nico’s hand to his face and gently kissed the back of his hand. Nico blushed and Percy laughed. He had just leaned down to kiss Nico, ignoring Nico’s quiet protest about kissing in his parents’ home, when Sally appeared.

She crossed her arms and loudly cleared her throat. Percy and Nico jumped apart, both blushing. Sally raised an eyebrow at Percy but smiled fondly at Nico. “Nico, dear, you look very handsome. Percy, tuck your shirt in, I know I taught you better than that.” Sally took Nico’s hand and gently pulled him away from Percy and began leading him through the apartment.

Percy hurriedly tucked his shirt in and followed them. Sally slipped her arm around Nico’s shoulders, murmuring quietly to him. Nico glanced over his shoulder once and caught Percy’s gaze. Percy smiled encouragingly and gave him a thumbs up. Nico smiled and turned his attention back to Sally. Percy let out his breath, relieved that Nico was warming up to his mom finally. They’d been dating eight months but Nico still wasn’t completely comfortable around Percy’s family yet. Percy knew he wore the button up shirts and dress pants to make a good impression, although it wasn’t needed.

In the dining room, Paul was setting the table. Sally led Nico to his seat and then left to go check on the food in the oven. Paul reached out his hand to Nico and Nico shook it, smiling slightly. Paul grabbed Percy before he could sit next to Nico and pulled him into a loose hug.

“The food will be ready in a few minutes,” Paul said, taking a seat across from Nico and Percy. The time waiting was spent in conversation, mostly between Paul and Percy. Nico listened, speaking when Paul asked him a question.

Percy was enthusiastically explaining the internship he had gotten with a respected marine biologist when Sally brought in the food on a tray. Percy and Paul jumped up to help her but she shooed them away and expertly laid the good out. She had made spaghetti, lasagna, and an assortment of side dishes, including breadsticks. And she had somehow managed to make extra plates of everything in blue, just for Percy. Nico felt his mouth watering as he smelled all the different foods.  
Percy cheered and immediately started filling both his and Nico’s plates with good. Sally huffed but smiled warmly. She and Paul fixed their own plates more slowly and carefully. The next few minutes were spent in silence as everyone ate and focused on their food. After everyone had gotten something in their stomachs, conversation started up again in between bites.

“So where’s the little one, Mom?” Percy asked around a mouthful of blue spaghetti.

Sally passed him a napkin and he sheepishly wiped his mouth with it. “She’s staying with Paul’s parents tonight. They’ve been asking about keeping her since her last birthday so we finally decided to give it a try.”

“You’ve texted them every hour asking about her, haven’t you?” Percy smirked knowingly, earning a glare from his mother. Nico stifled a laugh at their exchange and leaned over his plate to spoon up more lasagna. He wasn’t paying attention and the next thing he knew, Percy was crying, “Your tie!”

Nico looked down and groaned. He had let his tie drag into his plate and get covered in sauce. It was completely ruined. Before it could make a mess of his shirt, Nico untied it and pulled it off. His shirt collar fell open and he heard Sally murmur, “Oh my,” before she handed him a napkin to wrap the tie in. Thinking she was responding to the mess he had made, Nico paid her comment no attention as he thanked her.

“I’m sorry I’m so clumsy. I don’t think I got it anywhere else,” Nico said, embarrassed.

Sally smiled at him reassuringly. “It’s quite alright, dear. Accidents happen, don’t they, Percy.” She turned her head and glared at Percy. Percy gaped at her, confused, until she subtly nodded her head towards Nico. Percy turned to look at him and caught sight of the mark on Nico’s neck. Percy’s eyes widened and his face turned red.

Paul and Nico frowned slightly at what Sally had said but thought it was an inside joke between mother and son so neither was concerned right away. Paul couldn’t see the hickie from his place at the table and Nico had forgotten about it completely. Neither of them understood why Sally kept glaring and frowning at Percy for the rest of dinner but they could feel the tension growing in the air and each time she did it Percy flinched and lost more of his appetite. After half an hour, Percy had just stopped eating completely, which caused Nico to worry.

“Percy, are you alright?” Nico asked, concerned. He grabbed Percy’s hand under the table. Percy gripped it tight, surprising Nico.

“Just, uh, not feeling well. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” Percy replied, forcing a smile on his face.

“So you won’t be wanting any dessert then, Percy?” Sally asked, too sweetly. Percy met her gaze and swallowed nervously.

“If you made it, I’ll eat it, Mom.”

Nico frowned. “If you aren’t feeling well, maybe we should leave. We can take the dessert and the leftovers home with us, you know.”

Paul smiled and put his hand on Sally’s shoulder. She leaned into his touch slightly. “Nico’s right, Percy. I’ll wrap up a bit of everything for you two and y'all can go home,” he said, standing. The silent conversation between his wife and stepson had him confused and curious to be let in on the joke but he could see whatever it was affecting Percy so he decided to take pity on the boy.

Nico stood too, and said, “I’ll help,” before he followed Paul into the kitchen.

Alone at the table, Sally crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Percy. He ducked his head. Sally sighed and shook her head. “Really, Percy?”

Percy shrugged, not completely comfortable talking to his mom about giving his boyfriend a hickie. “Sorry, Mom,” he mumbled miserably.

Sally sighed, exasperated. “Just be more careful next time, alright? I’m sure once Nico remembers it’s there, he’s going to feel embarrassed. That’s really just not something that needs to be seen by everyone. And make sure you take plenty of food with you.”

Paul and Nico returned just then with a few empty tubberware containers and one already full of blue cake. Together the four of them filled the containers with bits of everything on the table quickly. Sally found a bag for them to carry it all in and then everyone said their goodbyes. Sally hugged Nico just as tight as she hugged Percy while Paul settled for a hand shake for both of them. Nico and Percy promised to come over for dinner next month and then shadow traveled back home.

Sally rubbed her temples and sighed. "That boy,” she muttered.

Paul slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I was wondering why you were giving Percy so many dirty looks and then I saw Nico’s neck in the kitchen,” he said quietly.

“I know I taught him better than that!”

Paul chuckled and kissed her forehead. “They’re still young. Besides, we sometimes get careless, too, remember?” Paul winked at her and she blushed.

“Paul!” Sally gently slapped his chest but couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Look on the bright side, we know now what to get them for Christmas.”

“Really now? What’s that?”

Paul grinned mischievously. “Lots of concealer and scarves.”

Sally gasped and shoved him. “Paul!” Laughing, Paul lifted her into his arms and started for the bedroom. “Wait, the dishes!”

“The dishes can wait. I’m not wasting any of our child-free night,” Paul said without missing a step. Sally’s face heated up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t keep the excited smile from her face.

Nico and Percy landed in their kitchen and immediately started putting the leftovers away. Percy was distracted and quiet, and it was obvious to Nico something had upset him during dinner. So, determined to find out what, Nico cornered Percy against the counter. Nico grabbed Percy’s hands and held them against his chest.

“Percy, I know something happened at dinner so don’t try to deny it. Will you tell me what was going on and why your mom was glaring at you?”

Percy winced and blurted out, “She saw your neck.”

Nico stared up at Percy, confused, until he remembered why he had been wearing the tie. He slapped his hand over his neck and gasped. “Oh Gods….” he whispered, mortified.

Percy instantly grabbed Nico and pulled him against his chest. “Hey, hey, hey. She’s not mad at you, promise. She was a little mad at me cause I did it to you but it wasn’t anything serious. Ok? Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “Your mother saw the hickie you left on my neck and I shouldn’t be embarrassed?!”

“Well, it’s not like it was a surprise to her, right? She knows, or at least assumes, we’re having sex now. She’s just old fashioned about hickies, that’s all. Believes they shouldn’t be seen and all that, which I kind of get. Still, nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I can’t ever face them again!”

Percy snorted. “You kinda have to, hon. No getting out of that.”

Nico groaned and pressed his face against Percy’s chest. Percy chuckled and kissed the top of his head. The next day, Nico shadow traveled to Hazel’s home to ask her about buying and using concealer. She spent a few minutes laughing but did eventually help him.

After that, Percy and Nico made sure to always have concealer handy. And sure enough, they got several scarves from Paul and Sally for Christmas. Percy thought it was funny but Nico turned red and got flustered. And every time they had dinner with Sally and Paul, Sally made a point to discreetly check Nico’s neck and glare at Percy, just for good measure. It embarrassed them both, but she had decided to make sure Percy never lived that moment down. She did feel sorry that Nico was caught in the crossfire, though.


End file.
